Fury over promotion of 'dungeon dad' Fritzl's book as Father's Day gift

London, June 19 (ANI): WH Smith, the British newspaper, books and stationery retailer, has come under fire for promoting a book on Austrian incest fiend Josef Fritzl as a Father's Day gift.

The Crimes of Josef Fritzl, written by journalists Stefanie Marsh and Bojan Pancevski, details how the 74-year-old kept daughter Elisabeth captive for 24 years in a rat-infested cellar at Amstetten, Austria.

Fritzl, now serving life, raped her constantly and she had seven children by him.

Shocked shoppers could not believe when they saw the tome on a "Top 50 Books for Dad" display which also proclaimed "Dads Are Heroes", reports The Sun.

Matt James, who was searching for a gift at the WH Smith branch in South London, said: "Are they mad? He's probably the worst dad in the world. What he did to his children was horrible."

The book promoted alongside more traditional gifts written by the likes of Dan Brown and Jeremy Clarkson.

Dad Ian Bennett, 44, said: "I'd wonder what they were trying to tell me. What person in their right mind would want to be reminded of that monster on Father's Day?"

Rowena Langlois, 50, said: "It seems like some kind of sick joke. Has anyone in the company actually sat down and thought about this?"

WH Smith called the blunder "a mistake by one store".

A spokeswoman said: "Thanks for bringing this to our attention. It is not national policy. We will rectify this immediately." (ANI)